Well, here's a bio of Ervin Drake that says he lives in New York. And here's a page on him in the Songwriter's Hall of Fame (caution: link won't work with Netscape 4.x). That page has an email link, and I'll bet if you sent them an email they would be able to give you more info about the song, or put you in touch with Drake. He sounds like a pretty impressive guy. The page says he's currently working on a revival of his Broadway show, "What Makes Sammy Run?"

Aloha,
Mark